The biological and chronological age is ... The difference between the age of the chronological and the age of the psychological

Let's try to find out what the biological and chronological age is. These concepts arose in the process of understanding the unevenness of formation, maturity, and aging. The phenomenon of uneven age-related changes explains the difference in the age of the chronological age from the psychological age.

The concept of biological age

Age is the length of time from the birth of a person to any other period. For each person, he has his own indicator, depends on many social and physiological factors. Anatomy-physiological age is defined as the sum of structural, metabolic, regulatory, and physiological processes. It may differ from the calendar life.

Individuality of a person

Chronological age is the time interval from the appearance of a person to the light up to a certain time of calculation.

Biological and chronological age often do not coincide, since each person has certain individual characteristics, is characterized by the aging rate of physiological systems, the rate of age-related changes.

Chronological age is not a criterion for a full analysis of the working capacity and health of an aging person. It represents the level of morphological structures that are achieved by a single individual.

The biological age characterizes the level of development. Individual differences in the processes of development and growth can have a significant range. To the maximum extent chronological frames of age are noticeable during puberty. In this time interval there is a serious physiological and morphological restructuring of the human body.

The emergence of the term

Most children have a chronological age and psychological age, but this does not always happen. There are also such adolescents who have a serious lead over the chronological age of the biological. This term arose at the turn of the 30-40s of the last century. Among Russian scientists who studied this problem, was P.N. Sokolov.

He managed to give a definition of chronological age, as well as to develop a special table of age qualities for the intensity of informative signs. In the second half of the twentieth century, material relating to biological age was published. This problem is the key for analyzing the impact of time on changes in the human body at different stages of development, combined by ontogeny.

Characteristics of the growth process

During the allometric process, the development of organs and parts of the body is disproportionate to each other. Because of the different rate of their growth, the proportions of the body change. There are general features of the characteristics of the ontogenetic development of man:

• continuity;
• Irreversibility;
• Cyclicity;
• Sexual dimorphism.

In order to explain the advance of the chronological age by the psychological age, let us examine these terms in more detail.

Continuity consists in the growth of different systems and organs of the human body in a certain time interval, it is carried out in a limited form. The organism is an open biological system that develops throughout its life.

Irreversibility and graduality implies the division of the growth process into stages or periods. If one of them is missed, it will be impossible to return to it.

Cyclism is associated with the seasons of the year, daily changes in the state of the body. Sensitivity to exogenous and endogenous factors implies activation or restriction of growth rates under the influence of a huge range of environmental external factors.

Sexual dimorphism is the brightest characteristic of human formation. This process manifests itself in different degrees at all stages of ontogeny. The "sex factor" is important, researchers constantly compare men and women, analyzing the notion of chronological age.

Among the fundamental characteristics that are taken into account by scientists, the individuality of the course of ontogenesis is of interest. The dynamics of development in all people is different, so you can talk only about the general features, because not all are ahead of the chronological age of psychological age in maturity.

Criteria for detecting biological age

If the chronological age is determined by passport data, then by means of the biological species it is possible to evaluate the individuality of the age status. The analysis is carried out in accordance with the following criteria:

• Maturity, assessed on the basis of the formation of secondary sexual characteristics;
• Skeletal maturity associated with the degree of ossification of the skeleton;
• Tooth maturity, analyzed by the erasure of teeth, the number of permanent and milk teeth.

Morphological maturity is revealed on the basis of the formation of endurance, musculoskeletal system, coordination of movements. Its assessment experts give on the basis of changes in the proportions of the body, which occur with a slow growth of the neck and head with accelerated limb formation.

Features of evaluation

The signs used to assess the biological age of a person must meet a certain list of requirements. First of all, they must reflect specific age changes that can be measured or described in detail. The measurements carried out should not negatively affect the health of the subject, cause him to have negative and painful sensations.

The biological age option should be suitable for the study of the maximum number of people.

The specifics of the assessment

In auxiology, different biological age determination systems are used that fully meet all the requirements. In addition to dental, bone age, sexual development, physiological and morphological maturity, mental and mental indices are estimated.

Sexual maturity is analyzed based on the level of development of sexual characteristics: mutation of the voice, the onset of the menstrual cycle, the development of the mammary glands, the appearance of hair in the armpits.

In the analysis of biological age maturity indicators are used that are specific for the specific physiological systems of our body.

There have been attempts to evaluate on the basis of age-related changes in the microstructures of individual organs, but they did not give a positive result.

Chronological age of a person does not always coincide with its biological characteristics. To assess the biological age, a comparison is made of certain indicators of the development of the studied individual with generally accepted standards found for the ethnic, sexual, and age groups.

Features of modern research

To ensure that the results of the studies are complete and reliable, scientists use different indicators. If the chronological age is a "passport" indicator, then biological characteristics are often characterized as the age of development. It is a reflection of the rate of individual development, growth, formation, aging of an individual organism.

In different people, the relationship between the rates of development and growth in individual stages of ontogeny can differ significantly. So, if for a group of girls the chronological age is ten years, then in biological formation, about half of the composition have deviations to the larger (smaller) side.

By the discrepancy between biological and chronological age, it is possible to assess the intensity of aging, the functional characteristics of a person. For example, the maximum rates of age-related changes were found in long-livers.

In addition to heredity, the biological age depends on the way of life, the environment in which a person is formed and develops. It involves taking into account external pathological changes that affect the body.

People who have the same chronological age, in the second half of their lives significantly differ in morphological and functional status. Those who have positive heredity combined with a favorable lifestyle, look much younger than passport data.

Among the main manifestations during aging of biological age, we distinguish violations of important vital functions, as well as narrowing the range of adaptation, the appearance of diseases, increasing the risk of death, reducing the duration of the remaining life.

Methods for assessing biological age

This term appeared because the chronological age is not considered a full-fledged criterion of the working capacity and health status of the aging population. Even among peers there are noticeable differences in the rate of age changes. Biological age is advisable to determine in people who are older than thirty years. Evaluation of this indicator is important for social workers, medical professionals, it makes it possible to diagnose various diseases, to carry out social and hygienic measures, to look for ways to prolong active old age.

If the biological age lags behind the chronological index, one can count on a full life, but in the case of premature aging, unfortunately, a person needs the additional care and care much earlier.

For example, if there are significant discrepancies between calendar and biological clocks, premature withering of the skin occurs, gray hair appears, and numerous wrinkles are formed. Even with the stable activity of the brain and the heart muscle, the appearance of the person reveals his condition.

To assess the biological age, a thorough and comprehensive medical and anthropological examination of the patient is carried out.

Modern research and methods

Tests designed for outpatient studies include evaluation of growth, breast circumference, weight, shoulder diameter, and thickness of the skin fold.

In addition, such functional indicators of the state of systems and organs as a respiration rate, blood pressure value, muscle strength of brushes, visual acuity, ECG, vibration sensitivity, memory state, psychomotorics are analyzed.

From laboratory studies that allow determining the biological age of a person, we will select a biochemical blood test, as well as an overall urinalysis.

At this time interval, there are a sufficient number of such tests, each of which has certain goals and objectives.

Some researchers are convinced that for carrying out experiments, special attention should be given to morphological criteria, not taking into account the psychological indicators relating to professional performance, health, and social adaptation. This position is not objective, since it is associated only with age-related changes occurring at the molecular level.

With the help of the abbreviated method, doctors determine the biological age of adults. To do this, analyze the state of the cardiopulmonary system, the psyche, the sense organs, the motor apparatus, and estimate the number of healthy teeth.

Conclusion

When considering the passport and biological age, it is important to take into account individual characteristics, gender, ethnic group, social factors. Psychophysiological maturity is determined using Kern-Irasek tests. They are based on changes in the proportions of the body, slowing the growth of the neck, accelerating the development of the limbs.

Skeletal maturity is considered an excellent indicator of biological age for all stages of ontogeny. As the bone grows, there are characteristic changes, which can be fixed on radiographs.

The appearance of nuclei of ossification, as well as the formation of stenoses, are considered characteristic indicators of age-related changes. It is these indicators that judge the state of the human body.

It is the bone system that is used to detect the biological age of a person during the entire postnatal ontogeny. As the body ages, there is osteosclerosis, osteoporosis, numerous deformations of the joints. Dental maturity is also used as a traditional method for detecting the biological age. When comparing the data relating to a particular person with the standards drawn up in advance, certain results are obtained. Undoubtedly, there are serious discrepancies between passport and biological age, for example, in people of creative professions: artists, teachers, artists. These people remain active much longer than financiers and accountants.